WHY WATER?

Water related issues are a growing problem. Because of the UN’s population growth projections and the changing climate’s impact on water availability by 2025 two-thirds of the world could live in areas of water stress.

Annually, approximately 3.4 million people, mostly children, die from water-related diseases. In Africa alone, women and girls spend approximately 40 billion hours a year collecting water — traveling long distances, carrying heavy loads, and sacrificing their safety and opportunities for education and economic development. This reality exists in countries around the world.

Reliable access to safe water saves lives, and transforms communities. Where there is adequate water and sanitation, there is a chance for a better future.

Ninety-eight percent of water-related deaths occur in the developing world.

People living in slums often pay 5 to 10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city. This price fluctuation prevents those living in developing countries that are poverty-stricken from purchasing clean water, and as a result, they have to use dirty, polluted water.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, only about one in three people have access to adequate sanitation. Treating diarrhea related illness consumes 12 percent of the region’s health budget.

According to the World Health Organization, every $1 invested in improved water and sanitation returns $4 to $12 in economic gains and costs averted, dependent upon the type of solution.